Letsile Tebogo: From frustrated footballer to first 100m African medallist at the World Championships 

Africa now has a medalist in the sprints at the World Championships, and all of Botswana celebrates their young superstar. Thanks, Deji; on this one, Letsile has entered the world stage! 

Letsile Tebogo: From frustrated footballer to first 100m African medallist at the World Championships 

It might have come a tad early for Tebogo, but when he made the decision to switch to athletics in 2018 after being benched a lot as a footballer in High school, he wouldn’t have envisaged he would become the first African to step on the podium in the men’s 100m at the African Championships. Five years later, he picked up Silver in a new National Record of 9.88s in the final inside the National Athletics Center in Budapest. 

It was a packed final, and he wasn’t picked as the favorite for a medal considering how raw he still was, plus his additional focus in the 200m. But as he showed the world today, he’s got the raw talent to deliver when it mattered the most, finishing behind eventual winner Noah Lyles who ran a world lead of 9.83s. 

Going into the Championships, all hopes had been put on Akani Simbine, and Ferdinand Omanyala held the hopes of millions of Africans who could potentially get on the podium. Why not? They had finished 1-2 at the African Championships in Mauritius last year and looked very confident all through the season. Simbine had been at every major championship final since the Rio Olympics and 2016, while Omanyala was the second fastest man in the world before the world. 

Unluckily for Simbine, the South African false started in the semis, and although very harsh, the rules meant he couldn’t get a chance to race in the final. For Omanyala, he sneaked into the final by one-hundredth of a second after defending world champion Fred Kerley ran 10.02s in his semis.

The stage was then set for Tebogo to race against the more experienced runners such as the former world champion Christian Coleman, Lyles, who was looking to get on the podium for the first time, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, and Oblique Seville of Jamaica. Seville had gotten the better of Tebogo in their semifinal race and it was just a case of seeing whatever happened in the final.

At this point, it was a race anybody could win. Tebogo and Lyles had the best of finish, while Coleman and Seville were the better athletes over the first 60m. But as it’s common knowledge, races in Championships are all about who can handle the pressure the most when it matters most. The great Usain Bolt was the master of it. It felt like a replay of the 2015 final, which boiled down to the dip.

With Coleman and Seville- who had run the fastest times in the heats and semis, in the lead, Lyles came charging down the last 40m like a bullet train, and Tebogo went with him. You get the sense that was what propelled him. After all, the same push from Lyles at last month’s Diamond League saw him break the African record with 19.50s. There was no stopping Lyles, who has the fastest finishing speed in the race and expectedly took Gold. 

For Tebogo, he did just about enough to catch up with Seville and Hughes on the line, dipping just in time when it mattered the most. And although he was given the same time as his rivals, he nicked it by ensuring he ran through the line. 

“I came here to make the final; the medal wasn’t in the plan. I’m glad that I got on the podium to make history for Africa. After I had issues with my start in the heats, I sorted it out today, and it worked perfectly.” Tebogo said after his win. 

This win surely ushers him into potentially getting another medal in the 200m. His confidence has shot up the roof, and don’t put it against him to lower the African Record he set in London. 

“If I had my way, I would have traded my spot in the for Akani Simbine. He deserves it more than I do, having worked hard for it over the years.” Tebogo said after he became the first African to get on the podium. Such a humble soul.